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Help inventing a peach cake

I am trying to come up with a peach layer cake recipe for a friend's birthday. I'm thinking of adapting an applesauce cake recipe, but using mashed peaches instead of the a-sauce. Also, want to make a filling of boozy peaches to go between the layers. A) any feedback on whether subbing mashed peaches will work, and if the volume should be 1:1 for the applesauce, and b) suggestions on what booze to use on the peaches? Suggestions for specific recipes to use or adapt welcome. Thanks!

I agree with Amanda on the 1:1 ratio, but I'd suggest maybe mashing up the peaches (with some lemon), then draining them for a bit. Applesauce has had a lot of the water in the apples bound up by sugar. Be sure to do it over a bowl so you can catch the lovely juices and use them to intensify the flavor in your filling. As for the liquor, rum, brandy, even peach brandy. Maybe try a test flight before making the real thing. Sounds heavenly!

Cook's Illustrated had an article about peach cake in its July issue, including a method to coax the best flavor out of the peaches and getting out some of the liquid so the cake won't turn soggy. The peaches are sliced, sprinkled with sugar and baked in a very hot oven. I think for the type of cake you want to make, this would work well before mashing them. With a concentrated peach puree like this, I think a 1:1 ratio to applessauce would work. - As for the booze, I like Amaretto with peaches. Since it's rather sweet, I would adjust the amount of sugar.

I think sliced peaches boiled dessert wine or rum would be great. You would have to slice them really thin. The 1:1 ratio sounds about right, but the peaches maybe juicier than apple sauce. Sounds wonderfully yummie. A light glaze frosting on top. Yum

I tried the Cooks Illustrated method of roasting the peaches that MyGardenersTable refers to and it worked incredibly well, the cake is fabulous! Please post your recipe when you figure out the cake. Your concept sounds delicious.

i will echo the 1:1 substitution as long as you've cooked down the peaches so that they're of a similar consistency to the applesauce you would use (think: peach butter or thereabouts). my top choices for booze: bourbon (classic), moscato d'asti (more delicate), riesling (could be dangerous!).

I use amaretto with peaches all the time, so I would have to echo mygardenerstable. Also I make a "peach dump cake" a riff on a " brown Betty " that is a spice cake mixture. Not sure if you were planning to do a plain white or yellow layer cake, but a spice cake would compliment the boost peaches.